Slickrock and Shadow

Cheverny Chateau Cheverny chateau is one of the most popular in the Loire River Valley.  It is not the biggest and it does not sit beside a lovely river.  However it has more charm than the others.  The small village of Cheverny is centered around this wonderful Castle.  There is a parking lot at the entrance to the town.  Walking 2 blocks through the lovely street leads to the entrance of Cheverny.  You have an option of seeing the castle alone or also attending the Tintin museum.  I was traveling with my children and we decided to see the museum and the castle together.  We arrived around 4 clock in the afternoon.  It is good to time your arrival late in the afternoon because of another event that is free: the feeding of the dogs.  This is also called "La Soupe des Chiens" in French.  More about that later. The Tintin museum is a very nice, clean museum that celebrates this wonderful comic book character.  Many of hi...

Sarlat Cathedral Sarlat, France is in the heart of Dordogne region.  While visiting this area, my family took a day trip here from our headquarters in La Roque-Gageac.  The drive is a lovely, pleasant short trip.  Parking on the southern part of town, we began wandering into the pedestrian only streets.  There are many lovely villages that we had visited in France but this exceeded them all.  It exceeded my expectations.  Wonderful restaurants, old buildings, interesting shops and a lovely town square invite one to wander and explore. On this particular day, we arrived in time for a Catholic mass and the cathedral.  The cathedral is beautiful inside and out.  Hearing the sermon, music and absorbing the French culture and religion is a wonderful way to spend an hour.  The massive column that was near my seat in the church have the names of soldiers who had died in World War I inscribed. After church, we sat in a square and listened to...

Zion Double Falls, Right Fork of North Creek I wrote a true account of my hike to Zion Double Falls for the Zion Canyon Arts & Humanities Council writing contest for 2013.  I won the second-place award.  This story, entitled My Zion , tells of how I reached this remote beauty in the fall of 2011.  The hike was long, slow and had some surprises along the way.  I hiked alone and had lots of time to enjoy the beautiful and isolated surroundings.  Please click on the link and read the true tale. 

Elemental Opposition Mother nature shows her power during storms.  A recent summer storm led me to Zion national park.  Instead of the powerful waterfalls dropping from high cliffs, there were pretty unimpressive trickles falling.  I need a bigger storm for the big waterfalls I had in mind. To still make this a worthwhile trip, I went exploring for the smaller landscapes in the woods and trees of the canyon floor.  Under weeping rock, I walked along the stream.  It was flowing better than usual.  In a conglomeration of rocks, I found this sinuous small waterfall.  The smallness could not detract from the splendid flow, curve and color in this waterfall.  I took several shots and found this one to be the best.

Red Poppy Flowers of France Going to California each spring, I loved to see the wonderful wild poppy flowers.  I came to associate poppies with that wonderful orange color so common on the west coast.  Little did I know they come in another color in Europe:  blood red.  Seeing this fields filled with red poppies or smaller clusters of them here and there delighted me every time.  I could see Monet and his wife in these flowery fields as he painted her.  This particular field was south of Sarlat, France. 

Urban Art:  Paris apartment windows and balconies Apartment buildings in Paris plus a telephoto lens creates urban art.  While walking around the Ile de St. Louis on a pleasant morning I enjoyed the city itself.  No particular monument, cathedrals, museums or other points of interest were on the agenda.  The City of Paris was what I hoped to discover.  On all levels, Paris delivers.  Paris does not disappoint.  This morning, I enjoyed these artistic architectural wonders.  Each window & balcony add to the pattern of city life.  It's a wonderful thing.  C'est la vie. Here are a few other photos of the city as art. Rue Montorgueil and Lamp Post Blue Door #14, Paris

Lamp Posts at the Louvre Paris is at night is a fantastic experience.  The monuments all take on more splendor and you feel like your are in a magical place.  A photographer could spend many nights visiting great locations.  I couldn't see them all during my stay but did manage some visits.  My favorite are posted here:  Place de la Concorde, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre were all wonderful.  A tripod is required for these long-exposure shots.  I brought my carry-along-size Gitzo traveler tripod.  This is a marvelous tool. Some individual comments for specific locations: Arc de Triomphe:  those photos of blurred car circling the arc are not typical.  You need LOTS of traffic for that, much more than on a typical Paris evening.  I liked getting under the arc and shooting up. Place de la Concorde:  the fountain waters turn on and off every few minutes.  If they are not on, wait a few minutes and they will light u...